According to the “sastras” (sacred texts), if you sincerely and ardently pursue classical arts, you are a blessed person. Furthermore, classical dance and music is considered the best medium to reach out to the Almighty and come closer to godliness.

Mumbai based Mira Road resident Guru Subitha Murali is the head of Saraswati Kala Kendra and Research Centre, functioning for almost three decades and has been imparting training in Bharata Natyam,Kuchipudi and folk dances in various schools for more than two decades.

Disciples of Subitha performed selected items from the Bharata Natyam repertoire, last week at the Bhakti Kala Kshetra programme organised at ISKCON auditorium in Juhu as part of the Samanvaya programme of Kathak dancer Shilpi Saini.

Subitha has performed for some of the most prestigious festivals in India and abroad. Some of the recent festivals include the Mamalapuram festival in Tamil Nadu, Shri Padmavathi Ammavari Brahmautsavam in Tirupati and the Travancore Narvatri Utsavam.

Subitha says “Performing in major temple festivals is a unique and divine experience and the appreciation from the audience is really encouraging, my younger son Venkatesh has been performing with me and the applause is gratifying, moreover it is a special emotional experience when your students perform well as it is not easy to train children in classical dance as it needs several years of practise, determination ,patience and will power.”

The silver jubilee celebrations of Saraswati Kala Kendra was organised with the Nritya Tarangini International dance festivals which attracted the attention of dancers from Nepal and other parts of the country. Not many festivals are organised especially for young talent as they deserve complete encouragement. Subitha is planning another festival possibly during Navaratri in October to encourage young talent and also to promote and propagate Indian classical arts.

By Guru Vijay Shanker